Internal-combustion engine.



I. SHAW.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I7. 1918.

1,292, l O3 Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

J. SHAW.

INTERNAL CGMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 1uNE17. 191s.

LQQ, 103. Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

2 SHEETS -SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES SHAW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 H. S. MOTOR CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Substitute for renewal application Serial No. 200,172, filed November 3, 1917. This application filed June 17, 1918. Serial No. 240,545.

To all 'whom z' may concern Be it known that I, JAMES SHAW, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of multiple cylinder internal combustion engines, Which constitutes the subject matter of my prior Letters Patent No. 1,188,496 dated June 27th, 1916.

And the present improvement has for its object to providea simple and efficient structural formation of the rotary valve member of an engine of the above mentioned type, and with which the usual timing of the inlet, compression, explosion and eXhaust strokes of the individual pistons of the series of engine cylinders are attained in a ready and effective manner, all as Will hereinafter more fully appear.

l In the accompanying drawings;-

Figure 1, is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the upper portion of a four cylinder engine, to Which the present improvement is applied.

Fig. 2, is a horizontal section of the rotary valve member, detached.

Figs. 3, 4, 6, 7 8 and 9, are detailed transverse sections on lines 3, 4, 6, 7 8 and 9, respectively, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged detail section on line 6, Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 2, 3, 4, designate the series of engine pistons moving in their respective cylinders 5, 6, 7 8, and as in my former Patent No. 1,188,496, said series of cylinders are preferably arranged in pairs and with each pair in separate relation as shown in Fig. 1. In said Fig. 1,

the reference numerals 1, 2, 3, 4 are applied to the series of engine pistons in the order in which they are timed for operation.

9 designates the valve housing common to the series of engine cylinders, and formed with a series of inlet-outlet ports or passages 10, connecting the bore of said housing With the combustion chambers of the .engine cylinders 5, 6, 7, 8; with a series of ,outlet or .exhaust passages i11, in diametrically alined relation to the aforesaid inletoutlet passages 10, and adapted for intermittent registry therewith by the rotary valve number 13 hereinafter described, and with a gaseous fuel inlet port or passage l2, formed midway the length of the valve housing and adjacent to the before described space Which separates the pairs of engine cylinders 7, 5 and 8, 6. The said fuel inlet port or passage 12 opens into the bore of the valve housing 9, at one side of the same, as shown in Fig. 3, and is adapted in the continued operation of the engine to have serial communication with the series of longitudinal sub-chambers or passages of the rotary valve member now to be described:

. 13 designates the valve member above referred to, of a length approximately the length of the bore of the valve housing 9 and having a turning fit therein. Said valve is operatively connected to the main shaft of the engine by any usual intermediate speed reducing gea-ring, and receives rotation from said engine shaft at the ratio of one revolutionr of the valve to four revolutions of the engine shaft.

14, 15 designate a pair of counterpart spirally arranged partitions disposed in alined relation Within the circular outer shell of the valve member, and dividing the same into a plurality of longitudinal sub-I chambers or passages 16, 17, 18, 19, which have a spiral formation corresponding with that of the aforesaid spiral partitions 14, 15. Said sub-chambers are adapted to serially register With the fuel inlet port 12 aforesaid, and each sub-chamber will remain in register with said fuel inlet port 12 during a quarter revolution, approximately, of the valve member 13.

In the present improvement, the shell of the rotary valve member 13, is provided with an X shaped partition 20, disposed intermediate of the spiral partitions 14, 15, above described, and the four longitudinal Webs of said partition 20, are in turn formed with angularly disposed branches 21, arranged alternately at opposite ends of said longitudinal Webs, as illustrated in Fig. 2. With the described arrangement of parts, the partition 20, 21, provides a series of four receiving chambers 22, 23, 24, 25, Which altermali' @P811 in orposte directions and.

have individual communication With the series 'of sub-chambersfo'r passage Ways 16, 1.7 V18, 19, above described. Each of said receiving chambers 22, 23, 24, 25, has its individual inlet port or opening formed Ain the shell of the valve and adapted to serially register `with the fuel inlet port 12 fof the valve housing 9 during approximately a quarter revolution of the valve. Accordingly when one of said receiving chambers is in communication With said fuel inlet port, to supply -fuel charges 'to an engine cylinder, .the remaining` .receiving chambers are out of register and dormant.

26, 27, 28 and 29, designate a series of transverse passages or ducts extending diametrically through the valve member 13, With theirWalls forming portions of the spiral partitions 15, 16, aforesaid. The said passages or ducts are disposed in spaced relation correspondingly with that of the series o'f inlet-outlet ports 10, of the engine combustion chambers :and lthe companion series ofoutlet ports 11 of the valve housing 9, and With each of said passages or ducts individual to companion ports 10 and 11 aforesaid. i Y

30, 3,1, 32 and 33, designate quadruple pairs of ports or passages in the shell of the rotary valve .member 13, With each pair of said ports arranged in diametric relation 5to each other and individual vto a pair of adjacent sub-chambers 16, 17, or 18, 19, heretoforedescribed. Said pairs of ports vor passages 30, 31, 32, Y33 are disposed inthe same space relation as that above described in connection with the passages `or ducts 26, 27,28, 29 and each port of each ,pair of vpor-'ts is adapted to register With the inletoutlet port 10 of its kengine cylinder, once in each revolution of the -rotary valve mem ber 13.

1n the present valve structure, the series of transverse passages or ducts .26, 27, 28, j29, as Well as the companion series 'of ports or passages 30, 31, 32, 33 are disposed in Vangular relation Vto each other in their Vdi `rection of circular movement Within the valve 'housing 9, 4and with each individual set of passages, one-eighth of a circle, in advance of `the neXt succeeding set of passages; said advance corresponding With the advance or 'twist of the partitions 14E, 15, and the series of sub-'chambers 16, '17, 18, 19.

With lthe above described y'association of parts, .and With the :first piston 3, Figs. 1 and "6., at the vbeginning. of vits explosion or novver stroke, the transverse duct 28 and the passage 32 individual to the combustion 'chamber of said piston l3, Will be Iout of register with "the inlet-outlet port 1() of said vcombustion chamber. At'the-sametime the second pist'cn 1, EFigs. `1 and 7, iis at the beginning of itsfuel inlet or suction stroke, with its transverse duct 26, rout of register withV the inlet-outlet port 10 of the combus- 4tion v.chamber of said piston *1, and Withone of the pair of passages 30 commencing to register With said inlet-outlet port 10. At .the sametimethe third piston 4, Figs. 1 and 8, is at the beginning of its compression stroke, with the transverse duct 29 and passages 33 individual to the combustionhchanr ber -of said piston soutfof register with ythe inlet-outlet port 10 of said combustion chamber. At the same time the fourth piston 2, Figs. 1 and 9, is, at the beginning of its outlet- `or exhaust stroke with the passages 31, out of register with the inlet-outlet port 10 of the combustion `chamber of said piston 2, and with the transverse duct 27 commencing Ito register with said inlet-.outlet port 19.

34C designate transverse grooves or channels, preferably tivo in number, as kvshovvn more yparticularly in 5, and formed near the respective ends of an exhaust duct or lfi'ue ofi the lrotary valve rmember 13'. With the described structure formation, a free expansion and contraction of Ithe metal of 'the Walls of said duct yor `flue, under the influence of the flashes of 'flameto Which Athe same is exposed in actual use, can take piace, and "the usual :buckling `and warping` of said ivallsare effectively prevented.

Having thus fully described my said in vention what f1 claim as new and desire to secure iby 'Letters Patent, is

1. In combination, `Va plurality of cylinders and pistons common to a single en-gine shaft, a -valve hou-sing Acommon `to the'plul y rality of cylinders and having inlet-outlet 'ports v'communicating individually With the combustion chambers of `said cylinders, the valve housing having va single inlet port for .gaseous fuel and a plurality lof individual outlet ports, and a rotary valvelnember disposed longitudinally lin said valve 'housing and comprising a fpartitioned shellprovidling pairs of longitudinal sub-chambers in alined relation and a quadruple series of receiving chambers intermediate of said subchambers and opening alternately into one and the Yother 'of'l said sub-chambers, each sub-chamber aforesaid having a. pair of Aports adapted Ifor serial 'registry vvith` the inlet-outlet ports of a pair ofengine cylinders, and saidsheil having a seriesof, transverse/ducts each yindividual to the inlet-out- .let v'port of an engine :cylinder and an outbustion V'chambers vof said cylinders, .said `valve housing having fa 'single inlet port adjacent to the central space between the aforesaid cylinders and a plurality of individual outlet ports, and a rotary valve member disposed longitudinally in said valve housing and comprising a partitioned shell providing pairs of longitudinal subchambers in alined relation and a quadruple series of receiving chambers intermediate of said sub-chambers and opening alternately into one and the other` of said sub-chambers, each sub-chamber having a pair of ports adapted for serial registry With the inlet-outlet ports of a pair of engine cylinders, and said shell having a series of transverse ducts each individual to the inlet-outlet port of an engine cylinder, and an outlet port of the valve housing, substantially as set forth.

V3. In combination, duplicate series of cylinders and pistons vcommon to a single engine shaft and having a centrally spaced relation, a valve housing common to the plurality of cylinders and having inlet-outlet ports communicating individually with the combustion chambers of said cylinders, said valve housing having a single inlet port adjacent to the central space between the aforesaid cylinders and a plurality of individual outlet ports, and a rotary valve member disposed longitudinally in said valve housing and comprising a partitioned shell providing pairs of longitudinal subchambers in alined relation anda quadruple series of receiving chambers intermediate of said sub-,chambers and opening alternately into one and the other of said sub-chambers, each sub-chamber having a pair of ports adapted for serial registry with the inlet-outlet ports of a pair of en gine cylinders and said shell having a series of transverse ducts each individual to the inlet-outlet port of an engine cylinder, and an outlet port of the valve housing, substantially as set forth.

fl. In combination, a piston, a cylinder, a valve housing having a fuel inlet passage, an exhaust passage and an inlet-outlet passage communicating With the cylinder aforesaid, and a rotary valve arranged in said housing and comprising `a partitioned shell providing sub-chambers adapted to serially register 'the fuel inlet passage With the inlet-outlet passage aforesaid, and a diametric duct adapted to register said inlet-outlet passage With the exhaust passage aforesaid, the W-all of said duct being formed with a transverse groove, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois this 14th day of June, 1918.

JAMES SHAW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for nve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, '.D. C. 

